5 great teams the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen Bulls totally ruined

1. New York Knicks

No team exemplifies being ruined by the Jordan-Pippen Chicago Bulls more than the New York Knicks. The Knicks’ two trips to the NBA Finals in the 1990s both came directly after Jordan retired. When Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls were at full power, the Knicks were no match.

The bad luck for the Knicks began all the way back in 1989. Fresh off making a deal with the Bulls to acquire young power forward and Jordan favorite Charles Oakley for decidedly not a Jordan favorite, veteran backup center Bill Cartwright, the Knicks seemed destined to face the Bulls at some point in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

New York, led by now-legendary college coach Rick Pitino, finished the season 52-30 good enough for the first division title in 18 years. Once the playoffs came, New York defeated Philadelphia in the first round. Unfortunately, New York was no match for the up and coming Bulls. Jordan led Chicago to a 4-2 series lead averaging 35.7 points per game along with 9.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.

Pitino had seen enough shocking the sports world by resigned from the Knicks to coach for the University of Kentucky. In 1991, the Knicks and Bulls once again met in the playoffs but it was barely a fight as the Bulls easily swept the 39-win Knicks en route to their franchise’s first NBA Championship.

Then-Knicks coach John MacLeod followed Pitino’s lead and announced he was departing before the next season. Two playoff losses to the Bulls, two head coach resignations. Not great.

In 1992, the re-energized Knicks, now led by championship coach Pat Riley, took momentum into the playoffs winning 51 games during the regular season. After defeating the Pistons in the Eastern Conference First Round, the Knicks once again needed to get through Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls.

New York pushed the defending champion Chicago Bulls to a seventh and deciding game. Combining a rough and tumble style, with a well-rounded approach highlighted by Patrick Ewing and John Starks, the Knicks played exceptional basketball but it still wasn’t enough.

Thanks in large part to Jordan’s 42 points, the Bulls once again sent the Knicks packing, winning the series 4-3. Don’t worry Knicks fans, Riley didn’t leave to go coach in college, he instead stayed and helped the Knicks improve to 60 wins in the 1993 season. Aided by the acquisition of stalwart point guard Mark Jackson and veteran Rolando Blackman, the Knicks were ready and reloaded.

New York defeated Indiana and Charlotte in the first two rounds and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals — their first trip to the conference finals since winning the NBA Championship in 1972. One problem: they had to get through Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls. After losing only two games in the playoffs up to this point, the Knicks rode that momentum to an early 2-0 lead in the series. Back-to-back standout performances from Pippen and Jordan (who scored 54 points in Game 4) tied the series at two apiece. Chicago would never look back as they won the next two and eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs… again.

After finally making it to the NBA Finals and past the Bulls in 1995, the Knicks had rocky years leading to the departure of two coaches (Riley and Don Nelson) before settling on long-time assistant and current NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks were back in the playoffs again in 1996, sweeping the Cavaliers in the first round before meeting their maker once more. The Bulls, winners of a then-NBA record 72-games were looking to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time in two years. Led by Jordan’s 36 points per game, the Bulls easily took care of the Knicks winning the series in five games.

While New York would make another NBA Finals trip in 1999, they were never able to best the Jordan-Pippen Bulls while racking up several casualties along the way.